Apparatus, and method, for facilitating passage at a limited access facility

The present invention relates generally to a manner by which to maintain control of vehicular ingress and egress in to and out of a secured area, such as passage through a security gate of a limited-access enterprise, facility. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus, and an associated method, by which to obtain information about vehicles entering or leaving the limited-access facility and to facilitate identifying whether the vehicle should be permitted in to or egress from the facility.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) information related to the vehicle and its driver is scanned by a scanner. The scanned information is used to access stored information that is retrieved and displayed. Verification of the vehicle and its operator is quickly made to determine whether the vehicle is permitted passage through the security gate or other passageway leading to or from the limited-access facility.

Business enterprise, and other, facilities regularly maintain some form of security to limit access in to the facility, and egress from the facility. Control over the access to the facility ensures that only those authorized to access the facility are permitted entry to the facility. Many business facilities, for instance, maintain a security staff to man the security gate. All those wanting to enter the facility are generally required first to be granted permission at the security gate in order to be permitted physical access to the facility. Analogously, those desiring to exit the facility must similarly obtain permission to exit the facility by way of the security gate.

Such security requirements are oftentimes in place, not only merely for personnel entry and egress from a limited-access facility but also for vehicles, and their contents. In a typical security gate scenario, a vehicular operator of a vehicle that desires entry to the limited-access facility slows in speed when approaching the security gate and then stops at the security gate. Security personnel at the security gate make a determination as to whether to permit entry of the vehicle by the vehicular operator to the facility. If approval is granted, the security personnel grant the vehicular operator to enter the limited-access facility. In a low-security scenario, physical barriers are not in place, and security personnel merely wave the vehicular operator through the security-gate passageway. In other arrangements, physical barriers limit entry of the vehicle in to the facility. And, upon grant of access of the vehicle to the facility, the physical barrier that blocks entry to the facility is removed, and the vehicular operator is permitted to enter the facility.

When egressing the facility, a corresponding security scenario analogously controls egress from the facility. That is to say, the operator of a vehicle slows down when approaching the security gate prior to exiting the facility. And, upon reaching the security gate, the vehicular operator stops the vehicle to request permission to exit the facility. Security personnel at the security gate decide whether to permit egress of the vehicle. And, if egress of the vehicle is permitted, the vehicular operator is granted permission to exit the facility. Again, in a low-security environment the operator is merely waved through the security gate. In an arrangement in which more stringent security is in place, a physical barrier blocks egress from the facility. Upon grant of egress of the vehicle from the facility the physical barrier is removed and the vehicle is permitted passage through the security gate and away from the facility.

Records of vehicles and persons entering and exiting the facility are regularly made and maintained. Typically, the records are manually created and maintained.

Modern technologies are sometimes utilized to facilitate security procedures pertaining to ingress and egress at a security gate, or other security passageway, of a limited-access facility. For instance, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems utilize tags and readers that operate to transmit the identity of an object or person by way of radio waves. Tags store information on a microchip connected to a radio antenna, and RFID readers emit radio waves that exchange signals with the tags. Information is digitally transferred to a computer. RFID is a type of automatic identification technology. Existing applications that utilize RFID information include, for instance, mass transportation and toll lanes, biometric technologies, etc. While security-gate related systems sometimes make use of RFID technologies, such existing schemes primarily relate to gate access and automation. Existing schemes generally fail to extend RFID technologies to include identification of a vehicular driver or provide for database verification of vehicular or driver information.

As both driver information and information associated with a vehicle are important criteria to be considered when making security ingress and egress decisions, consideration of this information would provide for improved security procedures at a security gate or passageway.

It is in light of this background information related to security systems and schemes that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.

The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides an apparatus, and an associated method, by which to maintain control of vehicular ingress and egress in to and out of a secured area, such as a security gate of a limited-access business, or other enterprise facility.

Through operation of an embodiment of the present invention, a manner is provided by which to obtain information about vehicles entering or leaving the limited-access facility and to identify whether the vehicle should be permitted ingress to, or egress from, the facility.

In one aspect of the present invention, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) information related to a vehicle that is to pass through the security gate is scanned by a portable scanner. The scanned information, once obtained, is used to access stored information. Stored information is available, the information is to verify the vehicle and driver, and an affirmative decision relating to ingress or egress of the vehicle through the secured passageway is permitted.

In one aspect of the present invention, a portable scanner is provided that is capable of reading RFID information related to a vehicle in proximity to the secured passageway. The portable scanner is, e.g., a hand-holdable device, capable of operation by a security guard or other personnel. When an RFID tag is provided with excitation energy, RFID information is read from the tag by a scanner, i.e., an RFID reader. The RFID-tag exciter is positioned proximate to the security passageway and, e.g., forms part of the portable scanner. The operator of the portable scanner, for instance, positions the scanner proximate to a vehicular RFID tag and reads vehicular information associated with the vehicle and, e.g., its characteristics and contents. And, the operator of the scanner, for instance, positions the scanner in proximity to a tag or badge of the vehicular operator and reads operator-related information therefrom.

In another aspect of the present information, i.e., the information read by the scanner, is used to access stored information. The stored information, if available, is retrieved from a database that is maintained relating to ingress to and egress from the limited-access facility. The database is, in one implementation, physically positioned at the portable scanner. In another implementation, the database is maintained remote from the portable scanner, positionable in communication connectivity with the portable scanner.

In another aspect of the present invention, the portable scanner further includes a radio transceiver that operates to send the scanned information to a remote location to correlate with stored information. The stored information related to a vehicle is, for instance, indexed together with a vehicular identifier, such as a VIN (Vehicle ID Number). In one implementation, the stored information is accessed and then sent to the portable scanner and compared at the portable scanner. The radio transceiver element of the portable scanner comprises, for instance, a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) device, such as a device operable pursuant to an IEEE 802.11 family of standards, a Bluetooth standard, or any other appropriate and available RF communication scheme.

In another aspect of the present invention, a database is formed and maintained to include information related to vehicular passage through the security passageway. The database information includes, for instance, a history of vehicular ingress and egress in to and out of the limited-access facility. In the event that the facility contains multiple security gates or passageways, the passageway identifies vehicular ingress and egress together with the identification of the passageway through which the vehicle has passed. Analogous information is also collected and maintained with respect to the operator of the vehicle. Information related to the contents of the vehicle, its licensing, and any other information that might be of interest is also stored and maintained at the database. The database is positionable wherever desired, as part of the portable scanner, in proximity to the security passageway, or remote therefrom, connectable by way of a radio, wired, or other connection.

In another aspect of the present invention, the scanned information is compared with the database-retrieved information to verify whether the vehicle should be permitted passage through the passageway. If correspondence is made between the accessed information and the vehicle, its operator, or other retrieved and viewed indicia, the vehicle and the vehicular operator are considered to be authenticated and an affirmative decision to permit ingress and egress of the vehicle is made. In the event that scanned information includes updated information related to the vehicle or its operator, the database is updateable with the updated information. The database thereby is maintained in updated form. And, if no stored information is available, manual input is available by which to input additional information.

In another aspect of the present invention, the portable scanner also includes a display element configured to display verification results. An operator of the scanner is able to view the display and make determination therefrom as to whether the vehicle and its operator should be permitted passage. The scanner operator makes a final determination as to whether to permit ingress or egress of the vehicle. The display, for instance, forms part of a user interface that also includes an input element permitting operator input to confirm ingress or egress of the vehicle as well as other input information. Because the operator of the scanner need not input, such as by way of a keyboard or the like, input information related to the vehicle or its operator, entry errors that might affect the comparison and decisions regarding the secured access or egress do not occur. Improved security procedures are thereby implementable.

In these and other aspects, therefore, an apparatus, and an associated method, is provided for facilitating control of the vehicular passage at a facility vehicular passageway. An RFID information detector is configured to detect vehicular RFID information at the vehicular passageway that pertains to vehicular passage therethrough. An accessor is configured to access stored information associated with the vehicular RFID information detected by the RFID information detector with stored information. A displayer is configured to display display information that includes the stored information.

A more complete appreciation of the scope of the present invention and the manner in which it achieves the above-noted and other improvements can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which are briefly summarized below, and by reference to the appended claims.